Nur

Chef Najat Kaanache was a famous actress in her native Spain before attending culinary school and working at top restaurants around the world including Alinea, El Bulli, and Noma. Now she’s settled deep into the Medina of Fez, Morocco—you’ll probably need a guide to navigate the streets—with her restaurant Nur. Each day she sources vegetables, fresh fish, and meats from the local markets to create a roughly 10-course meal. One evening, she might serve chicken liver mousse with smoked eggplant and sesame; the next, a Moroccan quinoa with green chili, pomegranate, and cacao nibs. Everything is presented artfully and delicately inside a beautifully-decorated space designed by former co-owner Stephen di Renza, who is the creative director of Marrakech Jardin Majorelle. nur.ma

Courtesy Kronenhalle

Kronenhalle

Works by Marc Chagall and Joan Miró are just a few of the art pieces you’ll see throughout the historic rooms of Zurich’s Kronenhalle. Even with its storied past—a hangout for Coco Chanel, James Joyce, and Pablo Picasso, to name a few—Kronenhalle’s present standing as a premier brasserie still draws a crowd for decadent dishes like a rack of lamb Provencal with gratin dauphinois or the Prussian-style Königsberger meatballs in a caper sauce. kronenhalle.ch

Courtesy River Café

River Café

As London continues its rise as a world-class culinary destination, the River Café maintains its status as one of the city’s best restaurants, even after 30-plus years. Situated along the Thames, the atmosphere might seem casual and unaffected at first, but the service is flawless and the food is serious Italian. Expect seasonal pastas—tagliatelle with asparagus, prosciutto di Parma, spring herbs and cream—and mouthwatering entrées, including veal shin slow-roasted in Verdicchio with sage and tomato. The clientele—veteran creative types who refuse to start going anywhere else—brings a certain buzz that makes the place still feel brand new. rivercafe.co.uk

Courtesy of Hotel Le Toiny

Restaurant Le Toiny

On the French Caribbean Island of St. Bart’s, the hillside restaurant at Le Toiny Hotel is located on a stunning vista overlooking a popular surfing spot below. The food—naturally—veers French Mediterranean with many seafood offerings, including tuna steak with roasted carrots in a mango-and-ginger compote. letoiny.com

The hotel was damaged by Hurricane Irma but will reopen fully recovered on October 15, 2018.

Francesco Scipioni

Reale

In the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy, chef Niko Romito—self-taught, yet boasts 3 Michelin stars—runs his Ristorante Reale in a dazzling 16th-century former monastery. If the escapist setting is not enough, the food will bring you to another world with offerings like impossibly fresh pasta (for example Semolina fettuccelle with red prawns and pink pepper) or smoked lamb and garlic balanced with a delicate portion of grapefruit compote. The property also has nine guest rooms and a cooking school. nikoromito.com

Photos: Garrett Rowland (L); Eric Wolfinger (R)

SingleThread

Japanese ryokan meets California wine country at Healdsburg's SingleThread Restaurant & Inn, which opened to much fanfare in 2016. The aesthetic is Zen minimalist but maintains a rustic charm so germane to Sonoma. Chef Kyle Connaughton prepares dishes using ingredients sourced from the property’s five-acre farm, which is run by his wife Katina. The 11-course tasting menu features much local seafood paired with the farm’s seasonal offerings, like a scallop-filled squash blossom with courgette cream. singlethreadfarms.com

Courtesy El Celler de Can Roca

El Celler de Can Roca

Chef Joan Roca, pastry chef Jordi Roca, and sommelier Josep Roca are the three brothers behind El Celler de Can Roca, the fine-dining destination one hour north of Barcelona in the small city of Girona. It’s regularly ranked among the world’s best restaurants, serving Catalan food (and mostly Spanish wine) with a global spin. Dishes are often presented with a touch of whimsy: Jordi’s candied olives are served hanging from a bonsai tree. Joan’s “surf and turf” is sardines and pork jowl. Joseph's wine selection might include a terrific vintage of Schäfer-Fröhlich Riesling from Germany. The main dining room is centered by a glass-encased inner courtyard of birch trees, allowing for a sense of intimacy at any table. cellercanroca.com

Pierre Monetta

Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

French chef Alain Ducasse has a global empire of top-tier restaurants, but there is something especially romantic (without it feeling stuffy) about his location inside Paris’s Hotel Plaza Athénée. Futuristic pod-like booths with mirror-finish exteriors reflect a series of chandeliers, dripping in crystal, above; Deco-style armchairs sit among dramatic classical columns. The space is an example of the French ability to mix modernism with the past—and the food does much the same. Ducasse has exclusive rights to the gardens of Versailles, so heirloom varieties elevate head chef Romain Meder’s vegetable-forward menu. alainducasse-plazaathenee.com